The purpose of this R13 application is to request support for the Seventh International Symposium on the Composition, Properties and Fundamental Structure of Tooth Enamel. The proposed Symposium will provide an international forum for the presentation of the latest advances in dental enamel research within an environment conducive to open, critical and constructive debate. The Symposium will be held on April 10 - 14, 2005 at the Ocean Edge Resort and Golf Club in Brewster, Massachusetts. The "Enamel VII" Symposium builds upon a successful series of international symposia on tooth enamel that began in London in 1964, and last held at Lake Arrowhead, California in 1997. Specifically, the proposed Symposium is designed to: 1) critically address significant advances in enamel research that have taken place since the last symposium was held in 1997; 2) to promote a better understanding of the properties of tooth enamel and mechanisms of its formation and destruction in vivo; 3) to stimulate new ideas that may potentially serve as the basis for the development of novel biomimetic approaches for the repair and/or regeneration of the enamel tissue, as well as protocols for the prevention of enamel decay; and 4) to encourage the involvement of new investigators, minorities, women, and persons with disabilities in the growing area of research. The proposed Symposium should ultimately have a significant impact on enhancing research activities in these areas and lead to an improvement in oral health. The Symposium will be limited to 100 participants to maximize interactions and critical discussions. As with the six preceding symposia, the Proceedings of the Symposium (including peer-reviewed articles and discussions) will be published in a special journal edition. Probable session topics include: Ameloblast Cell Biology; The Inorganic Phase; Enamel Mineralization; Ameloblast Gene Products; Defects of Development; Evolutionary and Phylogenetic Aspects; and Biomimetics/Tissue Engineering. Given the significant advances that have occurred since the last Enamel symposium in these areas, as related to the mechanisms of matrix-mediated enamel formation and enamel disease (e.g. dental caries), the proposed Symposium is timely. A unique program format is planned, consisting of poster and brief oral presentations, followed by panel discussions, organized within 10 thematic sessions, along with two keynote presentations. Specific efforts are proposed to promote the inclusion of new, minority and female investigators, as well as persons with disabilities. [unreadable] [unreadable]